A Promise Is a Promise

A Promise Is a Promise

“Drive_thy_business, let_not_that_drive_thee”

-Benjamin_Franklin_from “The_Way_to_Wealth”

“What do you mean you switched suppliers without my consent? You better have a good reason for bypassing me, the CEO of this company. Explain yourself, Director Patterson.”

“It is only for one or two months, Chairman Johnson. Our company is in a financial crisis. If we are not prudent, it can be catastrophic. The board and I decided that the best way to save our budget is to temporarily switch to a lower-quality but much cheaper supplier. I stress that it is only temporary until we can get ourselves out of this crisis.”

“What’s wrong with the budget? It was tight the last time I saw it.”

“While you were recovering from the brain surgery, the news of the car accident and your state of coma leaked out to the press. Stock prices plummeted, the board was a mess....this was the only way I could persuade the board to give us time. We are running on a bare minimum from the sale profits of our bakeries. If we are to secure our company’s future, we must cut our costs. The best method is to save money on our flour costs. By reducing the quality of flour, we can save $570,970 per week.”

“Send me a copy of the company account file and I will look over it tonight,” I sighed in frustration.

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As I sat in the leather chair of my marble-tiled study, my mind was at war. “It’s only for a month or two,” said CEO Johnson. “It is a month or two,” said Moral Johnson. “No one will notice the difference between grade A flour and grade B flour. Even if they do, you can deny it until the month is past,” argued CEO Johnson. “You will know,” Moral Johnson pointed out. “Think of the company. Think of the employees. If your company goes bankrupt, 1173 employees will be out of a job,” said CEO Johnson. “But don’t you remember what this company means to you? It is the culmination of your ideas and values,” countered Moral Johnson. “Exactly. Do you want to jeopardize all of that?” demanded CEO Johnson. “Look around you,” he added. I scanned my room slowly. Behind me was a whole wall full of books on majestic bookcases. On my left spanned the 20ft window that seemed to let in the full moon and the shimmering black pond in my yard. I could see the faint outlines of the iron fences bordering the outskirts of my estate. In front of my wooden desk were black leather sofas with enough room to sleep on. I couldn’t help noticing the tall, gleaming wooden doors that led to the rest of my house either. “Do you remember the amount of effort it took to get here? Is a temporary quality reduction really worth all of this? Do not do something you will regret,” commanded CEO Johnson. I could no longer see or hear Moral Johnson through the comfortable sofas, majestic desk, and beckoning doors that crowded my mind. “Sometimes, it is necessary to make sacrifices for the greater good,” I decided. “I cannot endanger this company and its 1173 employees.” With this resolution, I crumpled up the pages of the financial status report and headed toward my bedroom.

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“BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!” rang the alarm clock. Moaning, I slowly opened my eyes and forced myself out of the bed. After splashing some cold water on my face, I put on my crisp suit. While tying my tie, I checked my watch: 5:30 AM. “I guess I have enough time to get some breakfast on my way to the company,” I thought. “I’ll stop by the Honest John’s Bakery store down the street. It’s been a while since I’ve tasted our bread.” Smiling at the thought, I got into my car and drove down the street.

When I got to the bakery, I quickly parked my car and walked in. As I entered, the yeast-scented warm air enveloped me. I let myself relax for a moment in the serene and unworldly atmosphere that only fresh bread could produce. I quickly picked a fresh blueberry scone and got in line behind a woman with a child around ten years old. As I was going over my speech justifying my decision to accept the reduction, I could not help overhearing the conversation between the cashier and the woman.

“Hello, my name is Jason. How may I help you this morning?” asked the cashier.

“Could you please ring these up for me?” asked the woman.

“Sure ma’am,” said Jason. While ringing up the pastries, he casually remarked, “You’re up bright and early this morning.” Smiling at the little boy, he asked, “Aren’t you tired?”

“Nope! I’m hungry!” answered the boy confidently. Chuckling, the mother added, “We always come to this store in the mornings for our bread. We both agree that your bread tastes the best.”

“Well, I am glad you do,” said the Jason. Pointing to the engraved wooden plaque on the wall behind him, he proudly quoted, “We promise the best ingredients, the best taste to our customers.” “We’ll never let you down ma’am!” Upon hearing my motto, the company’s motto, I felt Moral Johnson stir quietly within me. Smiling, Jason put the items in a bag and handed it to the boy. “Enjoy!” he added. I quickly followed suit and drove to the company, lost in deep thought.

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Director Patterson came into my office promptly at 7:00 AM. “Hello, Chairman Johnson,” he said politely.

“Hello, Director. Please, sit down,” I answered.

“So Mr. Chairman, have you decided?”

“Yes, I have,” I answered.

“And your decision is?” he asked expectantly.

“Immediately return this month’s shipping and restock our stores with the normal grade A flour,” I commanded.

“Sir, I wish to know why,” said the Director in an exasperated voice. “I believe I had made the seriousness clear. We simply don’t have enough money!” he said, trying to restrain his frustration.

“I originally agreed with you. I thought that it was sometimes necessary to sacrifice for the greater good. I believed that switching qualities was the best way to ensure the happiness of the 1173 employees as well as the security and continuity of what we had built so far in this company…”

“Exactly!” interrupted Director Patterson.

“However, this morning I realized the truth. Our company, Honest John’s, brings happiness and rightful pride in its employees through the quality of our bread. Secretly reducing the quality of our flour is like robbing them of their dignity.

“It is only temporary! By turning a blind eye for two months, we can buy time to get ourselves in a better situation!” said the Director.

“The best ingredients, the best taste is what we promised our customers and our employees. This promise is a promise that we should never break, even for one day. We are bakers. The quality of our flour directly affects the quality of our bread. If the taste is compromised, Honest John’s is compromised. I realized this morning that this is what I would regret most. I cannot let my own desires and excuses destroy Honest John’s and all that it stands for. I will sell some of my stocks to provide the funds,” I replied.

A storm of silence roared throughout the room as Director Patterson wracked his brain for a retort. After five minutes, he slowly rose to his feet and left the room muttering and shaking his head.

One week later, articles appeared in the media called, “A Promise Is a Promise.” As the information about this incident slowly spread through the public, the sales grew exponentially and the company’s image was solidified. Director Patterson was rumored to have quietly apologized to Chairman Johnson after seeing the sales double in ten days.